Parish considers public boat launch in Larose

Thursday

Jan 24, 2013 at 7:40 PMJan 25, 2013 at 11:47 AM

Lafourche Parish government has given up on its effort to return the Clovelly boat launch near Cut Off to public use.

Xerxes Wilson Staff Writer

Lafourche Parish government has given up on its effort to return the Clovelly boat launch near Cut Off to public use. The parish is looking at another site in Larose that could serve the same navigational needs, Parish President Charlotte Randolph said. The Clovelly launch was closed to free public use last year and has since been converted into a paid launch by the landowners, said the councilman representing the area.Parish officials said they hoped they could reach a deal with the landowners to keep the longtime launch free to the public. The launch provides quick access to Little Lake. It was open for years through an agreement between the parish and the landowners. Per the agreement, the parish would maintain the farm road on the land, and the landowners would allow free access. That agreement was in place until 2008. Afterward, the launch stayed free through an informal agreement.The launched closed last year after the landowners began adding stipulations to the parish, Randolph said. The land is owned by Little Lake Land Co. and General Agricultural Services, two Nebraska-based affiliates. The parish hired an attorney last year to negotiate the reopening, but those efforts have proved fruitless.“The case is closed,” Randolph said. “The landowners insisted on us providing an additional pump, and there was no public benefit for the pump.”Randolph said the levee protecting the area is being widened and the landowners wanted the parish to provide a larger pump to drain the area.“We could not legally give them more,” Randolph said. “The pump they were requiring would only benefit their land.” The landowners originally were seeking $20,000 annual payment from the parish. Councilman Jerry Lafont said the launch is still operating but charging a fee.“It isn't the only access to Little Lake, but if you launch there you can be in Little Lake in 10 minutes versus an hour or an hour and a half at the next public launch,” Lafont said. He noted having a free launch in the area is important for commercial fishermen. “Every penny counts for them, and those fees add up,” Lafont said. Farther down the bayou, work on a free boat launch in Leeville started this year. Randolph said the process has been delayed by a conflict over mitigation requirements. The parish is required to mitigate for any wetlands destroyed by construction. “Some of those comments (in opposition) said we would be harming the marsh,” Randolph said. “We argued we would be building up the area and therefore protecting it.”That conflict has been settled, and a contractor must now be selected, Randolph said. After a contractor is on board, the timeline for completion will be more clear. The total cost for the project is about $1 million. The parish has dedicated $250,000, the Greater Lafourche Port Commission has dedicated the same amount, and the rest is being paid for by a grant, Randolph said. “It should be noted that there is a (private) boat launch in Leeville now,” Randolph said. Randolph said the push for the launch has been somewhat political as it will be located on La. 1 past the entrance to the Leeville Bridge. The entrance to the bridge left some businesses farther south cut off, so this launch would help them “recoup some of the money they lost,” Randolph said.